Missouri police officer allegedly shot by his intoxicated wife

ST. PETERS, Mo. — A Missouri woman is behind bars after she confessed to shooting her husband, who happens to be a high-ranking police officer.

Deputy Chief Shawn Applegate of the Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department told KTVI he couldn’t comment on the case, except to say that it sounded worse than it actually was. It was not an intentional shooting, he said.

Nancy Applegate, 46, was in St. Charles County Jail Tuesday night, charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. A court document says she shot her husband in the leg at their St. Peters home Wednesday night.

The document says it happened after the couple had attended the Gun-N-Hoses charity event Wednesday night. The document says she was very intoxicated and admits to the shooting. It also says she gave various accounts of the incident and in one version of events, stated that her husband tried to strangle her.

The deputy chief is on medical leave and will have to clear physical and mental evaluations before returning to duty.

“I was made aware of an employee-involved domestic violence situation last Wednesday into Thursday,” he said. “The employee was injured by a gunshot wound. That employee is currently out on medical leave. There are charges pending with St. Charles County against the assailant. The agency (Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department) will be conducting an administrative review of the incident to determine whether there is any fault on the employee in regard to the incident.”

Shawn Applegate is also a Major Case Squad commander and has been a police officer for more than 15 years, Ihler said.